Toronto ‘anti-restaurant’ ranked third best new food experience by Food & Wine magazine

A roving Toronto ‘‘restaurant’’ that prides itself as much on its secrecy, exclusivity and intrigue as its gastronomic excellence has been named one of the world’s best food experiences.

Prestigious dining magazine Food and Wine ranked Charlie’s Burgers high on its list of “100 Best New Food and Drink Experiences” in its latest issue (Download a PDF of the article here).

After polling food critics and correspondents around the globe, the magazine named Charlie’s one of three “word-of-mouth” supper clubs everyone should know about.

With no permanent location, Charlie’s Burgers calls itself the “anti-restaurant.” Events can pop up anywhere, or at any time, and information is only leaked to a list culled from thousands of applicants.

The identity of “Charlie” has been left unclear, as likely a general pseudonym as the name of an actual host.

The dinner parties can be held just about anywhere, from wine cellars to downtown boardrooms to the mansion of a prestigious bachelor. Where you will be dining is kept secret until moments before the event.

On his first visit to Charlie’s, Gregory Clow, author of food blog Taste T.O., was directed to a newspaper box at a very specific time of night. Inside the box was an envelope with his name on it, giving him directions to a nearby art gallery that had its windows plastered with French newspapers.

“The thing that made Charlie’s stand out was they intentionally built this whole sense of exclusivity to it,” said Mr. Clow. “They created this whole expectation, they created Charlie … my sense is there is no one Charlie.”

Even the identity of the host of each event is left a mystery. Serving staff referring to themselves as “we” do not offer their proper names, while the identity of the titular Charlie is only rumoured about online.

In a past interview with the Post, “Charlie” admitted he is actually “a group of dedicated individuals who love singular cuisine and one-of-a-kind dining experiences.” When asked via email yesterday, he simply said, “I run the whole show and I have a great team of real pros.”

Charlie’s Burgers’ website only adds to its mystery. Containing nothing but a black and white photograph of a back alley door with the initials “CB” spray painted in red, visitors are prompted to leave their email addresses.

Applicants are then sent a questionnaire which appears to gauge one’s social status and, perhaps more importantly, the maturity of one’s palate.

“If you can’t/won’t eat certain things, this is probably not for you,” the letter warns, before asking the applicant’s occupation and a list of favourite Toronto restaurants. The final question: What would your last meal on Earth be?

Depending on whom you ask, the questionnaire is either a way to weed out those easily put-off, to ensure only true food aficionados attend, or a way of making the event seem more exclusive than it is. It is rumoured that as many as 700 members sent RSVP requests to the last event, a 60-guest dinner presented by high-profile chef, Jamie Kennedy.

Prices can run between $75 and $180, depending on what is served and what wines are paired with each course.

At each event, a high-profile chef is given freedom of the kitchen, preparing 10-course meals that have included duck in a can, gefilte fish with apple and beet, or four-worm risotto.

When Victor De Guzman, executive sous chef at the Langdon Hall Hotel and Spa in Cambridge, Ont., appeared in April, he prepared a meal centred around Kobe beef without being told the address and being given only photographs of the kitchen in which he would be working.

While Mr. Kennedy says “there is a certain tone set by the intrigue,” he isn’t sure how long the idea will stay hot.

“There are certain things about it that make it feel like an underground dinner club and I think that is amusing,” said Mr. Kennedy. “It’s kind of like a rave. It’s very interesting. I’m not sure if it has got legs.”

Only one other Canadian restaurant made the list, Toronto’s Barchef, listed among the world’s most innovative bars based on its $45 smoked Manhattan, made over smouldering, vanilla-infused hickory chips.